A county in California has reinstated a face mask mandate until March 2024 in a bid to prevent the spread of diseases including COVID-19.
Marin County's health order requires anybody entering a hospital to wear a face mask, if they are vaccinated or not.
Hospitalizations and positive cases of COVID-19 throughout the U.S had risen over the summer, but appeared to reach a peak at the end of September.
Recent maps released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that states in the Great Lakes and northern Midwest regions have the highest rate of the virus throughout America.
A major review into face masks published in August by the Royal Society in the U.K. concluded they "unequivocally" reduced COVID-19 infections. However, the measure has proved unpopular worldwide and several top Republicans have vowed not to legislate the restriction.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has signed a law barring any government agency from enforcing mask mandates in the state.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders posted to X, formerly Twitter, in August: "We will never make you or your children wear a mask," while Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt have also ruled out bringing back mask mandates.
But no such legislation exists in California and Marin County's mask mandate can implement a range of penalties, including misdemeanor charges or jail time on people who do not follow the rule.
In a statement, Marin County officials said of their new restriction: "The intent of the order is to protect individuals in these high-risk healthcare settings and limit the spread of seasonal respiratory viruses including RSV, influenza, and COVID-19.
"It will apply to all individuals within the facility while they are in patient care areas. Children under age 6 and those with a valid medical reason are exempt."
According to the Marin County health website, there has been no significant recent spike in cases.
Matt Willis, Marin County Public health officer, told Newsweek: "Our goal is to protect our highest risk people against a range of seasonal viruses, and not just COVID.
"Before the pandemic, respiratory virus season was always hard on our hospitals, because of flu and RSV mainly. When we masked up for COVID an interesting thing happened. Our rates of other respiratory viruses dropped, and we saw fewer cases being transmitted between staff and patients and fewer outbreaks.
"People end up in hospitals because they're sick, and they're surrounded by people who can least afford to be infected. Folks exposed in hospitals are often older more frail patients, or healthcare workers on the critical care front lines. Viruses spread more easily in indoor settings where people are together 24/7. The order is just for this season, and is not automatically recurring. We'll track the impact this year and determine whether this will be an annual policy."
But other areas in California have gone the other way and Huntington Beach City Council banned wearing masks in the future after an 8-hour meeting in September.
Other areas across the United States have put in temporary mask requirements this year, such as a two-week introduction at Morris Brown College in Atlanta after a spike in cases in August.
Some hospitals in New York state, such as the Auburn Community Hospital, still have a face mask mandate. Its website described face coverings as "mandatory regardless of immunization status" as of a Newsweek check today.
But a federal mask mandate remains very unlikely and officials have emphasized it will remain a personal choice.
Jeff Nesbit, assistant secretary for public affairs for health and human services, told The Press Association in September: "To be clear, the rumors of a federal mask mandate are not true. We now have a range of tools for people to protect themselves from the impact of COVID-19, including vaccines, at-home testing and treatments. Masking is one of several steps people may choose to take to protect themselves if they wish."
Update 11/23/23, 02:08 a.m. ET: This article was updated with a statement from Matt Willis, Marin County Public health officer.
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